Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

Half an hour later, in Heimerdinger's office at Piltover University. 

The office door was suddenly flung open, and Jayce burst in, panting heavily. 

It was hardly unusual for Jayce to barge in without knocking. Though such impolite behavior was unbecoming of someone of his status as a genius scientist from high society, those around him had long since grown accustomed to it and paid it no mind. 

After all, no matter how often it was pointed out, he would dismiss it as trivial. 

Li Lin, Viktor, and Heimerdinger all turned their gazes toward Jayce at the same time. 

Since both Heimerdinger and Viktor lived on campus, neither had taken long to arrive. On the way, Li Lin had shared with them the AI's calculations for creating a purely science-based interdimensional portal. 

"Apologies for being late," Jayce said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he noted the three waiting for him. 

"Oh, ho ho~ No worries, my boy. We've only been waiting for about ten minutes," Heimerdinger replied. 

For the Yordle professor, time held a different meaning than it did for humans. In Bandle City, the concept of "time" was practically nonexistent and only manifested in the material realm inhabited by humans. 

But while Heimerdinger brushed it off, Li Lin wasn't as lenient. 

Though the Talis family home was somewhat distant from the Kiramman estate, it was just a short ten-minute journey to the university. 

And as far as Li Lin knew from Caitlyn, Jayce had recently started using an electric scooter for his daily commute. Even factoring in getting dressed, there was no way it should have taken him more than ten minutes to arrive. 

Yet, here he was—half an hour late, breathless and disheveled. 

It didn't take much effort for Li Lin to piece together the puzzle. 

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he cast a playful glance at Jayce and remarked, "You seem to be wearing someone's perfume." 

As expected, Jayce's expression shifted dramatically. He quickly raised his arm to sniff himself and blurted out, "Impossible! I took a shower and changed clothes…" 

Both Viktor and Heimerdinger raised their brows, intrigued by his reaction. 

"Jayce, didn't you tell me you haven't moved in with Miss Medarda yet?" Viktor's voice rang with newfound vitality. 

Thanks to the gene-enhancing serum, he had long since shed his former frailty. His newfound vigor, coupled with his recent appointment as a professor, had bolstered his confidence considerably—no small thanks to Skye's influence, as Caitlyn had once mentioned to Li Lin. 

Called out so directly, Jayce's face flushed crimson. He stammered incoherently, unable to form a coherent excuse. 

"Well… uh… it's not like that… I mean, there's a reason for—" 

"Alright, alright, I was just joking," Li Lin interrupted with a chuckle, amused by Jayce's rare display of flustered awkwardness. 

Given that Jayce and Mel had already solidified their relationship, cohabitation was perfectly natural. Still, with his less-than-stellar emotional intelligence, Mel likely took the lead in their relationship. 

Li Lin held Mel Medarda, the councilor with tenuous ties to the main Medarda family, in high regard. Without her support back then, neither he nor Cassandra could have secured the time and resources needed to uplift Zaun's development. 

If not for her backing, it would have taken Li Lin far longer—much more than two short years—to reach his current position. 

According to Cassandra, Mel had always been the first to champion any new invention or innovation produced by the Kiramman family. While this was partly due to Jayce receiving the Kirammans' sponsorship, her own insight and vision undoubtedly played a significant role. 

In any case, Mel was now thoroughly aligned with the Kiramman family. 

Currently, the two most influential forces in Piltover's council were Cassandra and Mel, who had left the other families far behind. 

Reining in his earlier mirth, Li Lin's expression grew more serious. "There's actually something important I need to discuss tonight." 

"Yes, your AI mentioned something over the call," Jayce replied with a nod. "You said you've discovered a new method of transportation—something more practical than Hextech gates?" 

His face betrayed his skepticism. "But haven't you spent the last two months in Demacia? That country doesn't even develop technology. How could you have stumbled upon this?" 

"Strictly speaking, I fed the theory into my AI, and it organized the findings for me," Li Lin explained. 

The revelation left Jayce increasingly bewildered. 

Without waiting for further questions, Li Lin gestured toward the corner of the room. A mechanism hummed to life, projecting data into the air before them. 

"You've seen Zoe's method of teleportation before," Li Lin continued, "and I've already explained it to Professor Heimerdinger and Viktor in broad terms. But aside from that…" 

He swiped through the holographic interface and pulled up footage from his battle against Kayle. 

When the image appeared—depicting a towering figure in a fully enclosed suit of armor, wielding a massive sword, with twin wings unfurling from her back, surrounded by glowing magical blades—Jayce and Viktor, even Heimerdinger, were visibly stunned. 

"By the gears… Dear boy, you fought the earthly host of the Aspect of Justice?!" Heimerdinger exclaimed in astonishment. 

"Wait… Professor, you're saying this is… the Aspect of Justice?" Jayce's voice rose, his shock evident. 

"From her voice, it seems she's a woman," Viktor added. "I remember reading legends about the Winged Guardians of Demacia, who protected the nation centuries ago…" 

Before he could finish, the screen suddenly turned blindingly white, drawing their collective attention. 

"What's happening?" Jayce began to ask, but his words trailed off when Heimerdinger caught sight of the energy levels spiking on the data panel. 

The Yordle professor inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in disbelief. 

"This… this… is a Megaton-Cannon?! But Gaboga hasn't been active recently, has it?" 

The trio's gazes instinctively turned toward Li Lin, their eyes alight with curiosity and suspicion. 

"Ahem..." Li Lin cleared his throat awkwardly and, with a swift flick of his hand, shut off the video playback. "When facing a Star Aspect host, you need to bring your A-game, right? Otherwise, how could I hope to win?" 

He hadn't mentioned anything about the Warlord to anyone, save for a brief word to Caitlyn. At the time, her focus had been entirely on orbital satellites, so the relatively obscure name hadn't stuck in her mind. 

Jayce crossed his arms and raised a brow, while Viktor stroked his chin thoughtfully. Heimerdinger, on the other hand, was still puffing at his mustache, struggling to recover from the initial shock. "Child, how exactly did you end up in conflict with a Star Aspect host?" 

"To be precise, the ones who inherited the power of the Star Aspect are a pair of sisters—the Winged Protectors of Demacia, as Viktor aptly put it." 

A smile played on Li Lin's lips as he explained, "I'm acquainted with the younger sister. This encounter with her elder sibling was purely an attempt to mediate the long-standing feud between them." 

Jayce couldn't help but scoff quietly. "Mediating a dispute with brute force and a weapon as devastating as a Mega-Cannon? Classic." 

Since Jayce hadn't seen the rest of the footage, he remained unaware that the Mega-Cannon had failed to harm Kayle at all. Meanwhile, Viktor and Heimerdinger found themselves pondering an entirely different question—how had Li Lin come into contact with so many figures of myth and legend? 

Relieved that the subject had successfully been diverted, Li Lin exhaled silently. For now, none of them—Heimerdinger, Jayce, or Viktor—had their attention on the satellite base. Even if someone reported Li Lin's launch of a new satellite to Heimerdinger, the professor likely wouldn't think much of it. 

After all, the idea of mounting weapons on a satellite—such a "wild" notion—was something that Heimerdinger wouldn't immediately consider, given that humanity had yet to move beyond Runeterra. 

Besides, when Li Lin had previously discussed the matter with Caitlyn, it had already elicited a strong reaction from her, even though she generally supported advancing weaponry due to the looming threat of Bel'Veth and the Void. 

For now, Li Lin, Caitlyn, and Kai'Sa had decided to keep the project under wraps. Not even Cassandra knew about Bel'Veth, let alone Jayce and the others. 

Now wasn't the time to reveal the orbital satellite, lest the trio launched into lengthy debates—especially Heimerdinger. Although the professor had taken to developing weapons himself lately, it was largely because Li Lin had provided the technology and requested his expertise. Who knew what stance Heimerdinger would take regarding an armed satellite? Better to skip the topic altogether. 

After a brief pause, Li Lin brought up a new projection on the interface, comparing data from Zoe and Kayle's portals alongside the AI-designed "Transdimensional Teleportation Device." 

Through Li Lin's swift yet detailed explanation, the three scientific minds—renowned in their respective fields—quickly grasped his concept, and their amazement was evident. 

Jayce, in particular, found himself brimming with excitement. As the inventor of Hex Gates, he was acutely aware of their limitations—they couldn't function outside Runeterra. When the Hex Gate was first conceptualized, neither Li Lin nor Heimerdinger had considered leaving Runeterra, let alone Jayce himself. 

But now, with Li Lin proposing a teleportation model based purely on science, devoid of magical components, Jayce couldn't help but feel exhilarated. 

"The main issue," Li Lin began, "is that while we can theoretically construct the Transdimensional Teleportation Device, it carries significant risks." 

As he spoke, the AI displayed potential catastrophic outcomes on the projection screen. 

"Living beings can't pass through?" Jayce scratched his head, his brain working at full throttle. "Surely we can continue refining it, right?" 

He had skimmed through parts of the data displayed on the interface. Though he recognized every word individually, together, they formed concepts that were beyond his grasp—a first for him. 

"An 86% success rate may be high," Viktor remarked, "but based on the AI's predictions, the risks involved are substantial. Quantum teleportation via the subspace corridor... Isn't subspace itself still a theoretical construct for us?" 

"No, no, my boy," Heimerdinger chimed in eagerly, "subspace does exist. This universe isn't limited to a single dimension. You've seen the Void tied to that Shuriman girl from the Kiramann family. That's another plane of existence—one of pure nothingness." 

"Then, does that mean subspace is also a plane within the universe?" Jayce, who had never delved into such studies, asked curiously. 

"Strictly speaking, subspace is more of a transitional zone—a bridge between the positive material plane and the negative material plane..." 

Heimerdinger trailed off, his head dipping briefly before shooting up again, his voice rising in excitement. "Of course! Positive matter and antimatter!" 

With that, he dashed to his mini-computer. His fingers flew across the keyboard at a speed that left Li Lin stunned. Even Jayce and Viktor exchanged a knowing look, deducing the meaning from the name alone. 

"What's the professor onto now?" Jayce asked Li Lin. 

"Antimatter…" Viktor mused. "I recall a professor proposing the theory in an academy paper, but he passed away before conducting further research." 

"Our universe has positive matter and the Void plane. If subspace exists theoretically, then antimatter must also exist," Li Lin explained, pointing to the data and formulas on the projection. 

Initially, the AI's idea of quantum teleportation through subspace hadn't sparked many thoughts in him. But now, with Heimerdinger bringing up antimatter, Li Lin felt a sudden clarity. 

The Void, disrupted by the material plane, had given rise to the Voidborn. The concept of "nothingness" had been broken, creating a form of existence. 

If Void entities could grow stronger by devouring the material plane… then couldn't antimatter, which annihilates positive matter upon contact, serve as the ultimate weapon against the Void? 

The thought left Li Lin brimming with excitement. "If we can fully understand and apply this theory, we might just save Runeterra!" 

[End of Chapter]

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